Duran Duran / Paper Gods vinyl box set

£300 box set offers coloured vinyl and unheard studio track

Over a year after the album proper hit the shops, Duran Duran have announced a Vinyl Factory deluxe box set version of their 14th studio album Paper Gods.
The box boasts four white vinyl records in bespoke sleeves, four art prints, 17 ‘kiss cut’ magnets (which can be stuck to the magnetised clamshell box), a 36-page booklet and a numbered certificate signed by Duran Duran and designer and LA artist Alex Israel.

As well as the 12-tracks from the album, this set includes all the five bonus tracks issue last year (including Target exclusive Cinderella Ride) and a previously unreleased track As Seen From A Distance. Additionally, one of the vinyl records includes two exclusive ‘Night Versions’ of Pressure Off. It is not known if this set comes with a download code, but since it isn’t specifically mentioned, then we have to assume not.

This set is limited to 350 copies worldwide and can be pre-ordered for a 28 November release date from Vinyl Factory’s website.

80 responses to Duran Duran / Paper Gods vinyl box set

that’s nice, and there will be some nice bonus tracks… but well, 300£ !? it’s a bit of a joke, as they did with the pricey PSB’s “Yes” … To me that’s totally nonsense to put that amount of money in this …

As with the Vinyl Factory boxsets of both ‘Yes’ & ‘The Most Incredible Thing’ by PSB I view these more as promo items really (I know they’re not but I keep telling myself that-sniff) as, lets be totally honest, they are out of reach for mere mortals like us :(

It’s a good album and I have 3 cd copies of it, but these Vinyl Factory things are just for show for people with the money. The one they did for AYNIN looked really nice (of course the artwork for that album was great, unlike this one), but was totally unreasonable. And that was the only vinyl version made. At least for Paper Gods there is the normal, fairly reasonable mass-market double vinyl.

Fully agree, sadly…
Problem is, Pressure Off is an ace track, and would have deserved a Night Version (dastardly DD… Reviving the Night Version establishment is a real stab in us fans’ hearts… Done to tempt us…) vinyl 12″ in its own right.
But I will not repeat myself on the idiocy of major labels and especially WB and their “strategies”… In this period of vinyl revival, their behaviour is unbelievable and shameful. It is obvious that the contract with the band aims only at exploiting their back catalogue.

HIGHLY disagree…Paper Gods, I find to be one of their better albums in their catalogue, objectively…it was also their first top 10 US album in 22 years BTW…and I saw them live twice supporting it, DD were firing on all cylinders too…I also have 2 CD versions of the album…the Target version and Warner store deluxe, plus the huge tour program, which is a great companion piece…NOW that out of the way, as for this vinyl set, are they frikking JOKING?? Great-looking and with an extra track too, not on the CDs…but um, 300 pounds??!!!?? And only 350 copies made??? Well that IS surely limited, and not sure if that will ever go down in price…if this was 100 pounds TOPs, I’d consider it, but that is just too much cash…I look for value for money with music…I will look for deals though…

Let’s not get carried away by the ‘top 10′ stat. According to Wikipedia, the album apparently went in at number 10, week two was number 76 and then on the third week it was number 194. Not exactly a ringing endorsement from the US public! So all the fans bought it, then effectively close to no one bought it after that.

This is all well and good (and judging by the prices that the PSB box set fetches now it’s probably a good investment – it you are into that sort of thing) but frankly I simply don’t think it’s a very good album.
I listened to it a few times on release and still couldn’t find anything to make me want to listen again. And I say that as a huge Duran fan :-(

Really?? Not even “Butterfly Girl”?? I find that to be one of their better songs in their catalogue, surprised it was never a single!! To me, that song is the “Paper Gods” version of “Runway Runaway” from AYNIN, just a killer pop song…also “Sunset Garage” is pretty sweet…one great pop song after another (including “Pressure Off”, which always reminded me of the Rolling Stones song “She’s A Rainbow” on the chorus), with sidesteps into prog with the title track, and the bonus tracks are excellent, like “Northern Lights”…but that’s me, with my bright powerpop inclinations…sorry you don’t see it.

Be nice if they did this with the debut album. This album was unbelievable bad after the excellent All You Need Is Now. You really have to be an ultra collector to pay that amount for a good album, but one this bad?? It’s amazing to have read all the fan reviews of this album where the listener states that the album grew on them after having to play it repeatedly. I’m sorry, but brainwashing yourself to like an album that you naturally don’t seems a tad extreme.

Apparently there are thousands offans enthusiastic about it, who keep posting their appreciation on their FB page, and journalists writing rave reviews on their maturity and renaissance…
The amount of money WB have distributed among people in the business to have them write such things must be similar to that invested by Sony at the time for Delta Machine by DepMode…

Ummmm, WB never paid me one cent…be nice if they gave me money to like an album, hahaha…as for Sony and Depeche Mode, same thing, DM DM is a strong work, and pretty cool they have the whole DM catalogue…wonder if WB has the whole DD catalogue?? Waiting for a better full-catalogue, multi-disc anthology than the paltry 19-song “Greatest”…which was fine at the time…also Warner reissues of the rest of the expanded ones EMI did besides “Rio”…and the PSB ones too, when are those coming??

I never had to brainwash myself to like the album…I loved it from the outset (it was my fave album of 2015 actually), and I even like it MORE than AYNIN, which was a pretty brilliant album…saw DD live for the first time on that tour at NYC’s MSG…and to be honest, I enjoy every one of DD’s albums in their catalogue, some more than others, but there are none I detest. I even enjoy “Red Carpet Massacre”, but that one isn’t as good as PG, AYNIN, Astronaut, or their 80s output…I even like their 90s works like Paper Trash and Medazzaland!! But that’s just me, there ya go…

Makes the Human League & PIL box sets look like bargains! I hope they sell none of them, but they’ve sussed out they’ve got enough fans with too much money and no common sense to convince themselves they’ve got a bargain.

As far as the music on the album is concerned (and the cover for that matter!) the adage is true for this grotesquely bloated package – you really can’t polish a t… !

The artwork was widely derided at the time so fetishising it further would seem to indicate the lads and the designer both are in total denial over how bad it is. It seems folly to think there are enough who can see past the ugly design to cough up £300 for this.

At least the PSB set was most definitely an art object in its own right which is not something anyone could say about this Duran one.

Anyway, as there are no marbles that come with it I will be snubbing it summarily!!

OK/Agreed. Would like to echo your earlier comment about the CD/DVD request. I purchased both the Deluxe and Target CD formats. If another CD release were to happen now (and include the “new” three bonus tracks) it would exceed the data limitations of a single disc. With that, I’d like ask for a 2 CD/DVD release. DD have my commitment to purchase this a 3rd time if that ever happens [wherever this may rank in their catalog].

A 2CD/DVD set I’d buy as well, and replace the 2 I currently have, to have it all in one place…make the regular album Disc 1, all the bonus stuff Disc 2…maybe include more Night Versions as CD bonuses??…and the DVD of the “Pressure Off” vidclip and a document of the recent tour and making of the album…that would be perfect…as for the album cover, I have no problem with it!!! The Target one that is just Salmon/Pepto Bismol pink?? That could be avoided…but the regular blue/purple one I do like, and the Warner store one is blank with stickers and the fortune teller thing…I left it blank cuz it looks like a popsicle & I prefer it blank!!

While I happily spent top money for all three PSB releases from the Vinyl Factory (Yes; The Most Incredible Thing; Electric), I certainly won’t go for this one.

The main reason being quite simple: charging a lot for, basically, packaging makes only sense when it is exceptional. Marc Farrow and PSB did their home work for the three aforementioned releases, by re-addressing the original artwork for something special. Well, I don’t see much re-thinking going on here…

Casting this album next to Oasis’ Be Here Now box and suddenly the Oasis box looks a lot more rational, even a good idea. However as most collectors never actually play their expensive limited pressings, it is made all the more easier to have a Duran Duran record you will not be tempted to play much. I do however think a proper 12″ of Pressure Off with a b-side, which is essentially what is included here, was a missed opportunity for fans, of whom, I imagine there are more than 350. Perhaps they could have included a free download with a purchase of aspirin. I generally feel that these vinyl factory releases are neat for what they are but their classicist overtone realy spoiles the whole idea of record collecting in general. However, I suppose they do exist as defacto “promo” items which would sell for that and more on the resale marketplace.

Yeah, thought ‘All You Need’ could have done much better through singles exposure. Title track is probably one of the more average tracks, but suppose it was a catchy single. ‘Girl Panic’ came too late with an extended and banned video! Could have toned it down and shortened it for airplay. ‘Being Followed’, ‘Leave A light On’ would have made good single releases . . .

Paul, see my comment on WB strategy above…
Same goes for Seal, also on their roster. Poor vinyl package, and just sweat it out on tour (even though Seal never sweats much, too busy living the millionaire life in the US)… Notwithstanding the fact that in Seal’ s case, speaking as a fan also of his music, his recent albums really do not deserve any promotion or special releases. Lazy, and with no creativity.

Well for me “What Are The Chances” is the best track on the album but in this instant what are the chances you are going to be stung big time ? VERY HIGHLY LIKELY…just to get hold of one previously unreleased song which probably can’t be any good as it would have been released at the time of the album…Two Words RIP OFF…Simon and the boys please come back in 2018 with your best album…make every track a corker if need be delay it even more until you get it absolutely right…had enough of fluffy filler on your albums.

Things like that make me feel like (some) artists are the first to not care about their own fans, let alone record labels. Otherwise they would not allow such joke releases. Thank God I only like about 2 songs out of the entire DD catalogue, so I’m not interested at all.

I actually like album (sorry) but you really are getting very little for your money. I know it is limited but I still don’t think it will be item that will sell out or inflate much in value. It’s at least £100 overpriced but I imagine there are many different people in this that want their decent cut in the profit which is upping the price.

I love the idea of the magnets and the metal box that they can be put on, but 300 pounds are you freaking kidding me. At the least the Pet Shop Boys ones had really special packaging, this one certainly does not, even the “bespoke” inner sleeves which from the picture look pretty much the same.

I do not agree with most of the people here, finding this album quite good in the end! The only thing about it is that they seemed to have totally missed the mixing of the sound…
The opening song “Paper gods”, the singles “Pressure Off”, “What Are The chances” or “Last Night in the city” are really worth the listening. I think that some of the bonus tracks are also quite “Listenable” !

Let’s wait for a new new new limited CD edition with all the bonus tracks… I think if there’s been singles around that have been pressed (Physical things, not sucking mp3), I would have bought all these and find the new songs in it!

I really hope Duran Duran reissue their entire back catalogue on vinyl. Some of their albums never received a vinyl issue at the time of release, and others are quite hard to get hold of. A box set of all their studio albums. Now that would be awesome.

I loved AYNIN so was very disappointed with Paper Gods when it was released, both musically and packaging-wise. There’s no way around it–artwork for Paper Gods was just ugly. That’s my opinion–I know others feel differently. I still want a deluxe Wedding Album CD and vinyl. Still love these guys–hoping their next release is better.

More evidence that Duran are so far removed from knowing what their fan base wants, it’s ridiculous. Find the whole thing rather insulting to our intelligence. They have lived too long in a bubble. Wake up.

Yes, underlying issue is it’s a crap album following up the excellent ‘All You Need’. Too many cooks in the kitchen and obviously attempt to sound “current”. Then John Taylor starting on about working with Kanye!!!! Thought he was off the drugs.

Some of the track titles are quite appropriate for this behemoth:
“What Are The Chances” I’d fork out 300 quid ($5oo Australian) for 4 vinyls and magnets? “Only In Dreams”! This will only be “Seen From A Distance”.

But dreadful puns aside, I like the album (although the ‘mix’ on some of the tracks doesn’t sound right – the first time I listened to it I thought there had been a mastering/pressing error) and I like the artwork (I’ve seen better, I’ve seen worse). But I don’t need all this guff – just give me a CD with ALL the tracks (trying to buy Japanese and Target editions is just too damn expensive!) and if it needs to be 2 CDs like another poster mentioned, fill it out with some remixes (surely there are some promo remixes floating around). As a CD buyer, I’m becoming increasingly frustrated at how much vinyl/download-only material I miss out on.

This has to be one of their worst albums – I have all of them and this is the only one I had a hard time listening to just once! The artwork is awful and the music videos were quite bad. While I am glad that DD are still around, they really need to lock this album away and try and move on to better things.

300 pounds for any album on vinyl is just ridiculous – let alone when it’s not even a good one OR one with decent artwork!

I’d echo the above comment about reissuing ‘The Wedding Album.’ The album itself is top notch from top to bottom and there are so many non-album tracks and variations that would fill out an additional disc or TWO. Come on Duran Duran, listen to the people not the bankers!

In line with WB apparently being (probably) interested only in the back catalogue since they have done NOTHING o promote Paper Gods (not that it deserved to be promoted, bad as it is), maybe we do have hopes for The Wedding Album.
But I am afraid that their incompetence will not provide a good product, whereas EMI’ s reissues were extremely good, in the way they packaged the additional 12″ reemploying and adapting the original artwork and fonts and coming up with additional photos (see Duran Duran and Rio)… Couldn’ t believe a major would come up with something so good. But EMI are (or were) EMI. While Warner are Warner.

I really enjoyed the album and the tour was spectacular, but come on – I paid not all that much more for the Floyd box and that has vastly more content. It’s a vanity project I realise, but it leaves a bad taste when at a decent price I might have jumped at this.

I believe I’ll stick with the $1.99 CD I bought from a third party seller on Amazon a few weeks after it came out. For what it’s worth, I did fork over $30 for a lawn seat when they played the shed a few miles from my house back in the spring. Opening act Chic absolutely blew Duran off the stage.

I know people have different tastes, but I really don’t get those who compare Paper Gods unfavorably to AYNIN? AYNIN for me seemed like a band trying too hard to sound they did in the past without bothering to write many decent songs, while Paper Gods is just a regular collection of fairly decent (not great) tracks. Overall, I find Paper Gods to be the far better album of the two. I don’t know of any reason I would every play AYNIN instead of just playing Rio, while Paper Gods stands on its own.

This opens up a whole bag of worms really. I think even AYNIN is overrated, but in its favour it is just the band being the band, with Mark Ronson producing. Paper Gods just doesn’t sound enough like Duran Duran for me and it has too many cooks (producers/writers/singers) spoiling the broth. It sounds like an album made by committee. Remember, most of the Wedding Album was the band in a room in Battersea with John Jones. That worked out pretty well…

Precisely.
If you take out drums and bass, where is the band? (and I don’ t really care if they tell me that it was Roger who played “electronic drums”).
Exactly the same problem of Red Carpet Massacre. But even though it was deservedly unsuccessful one must say that it did have good ideas (The Valley, RCM, Skin Divers, Zoom In, Last Man Standing), only very badly played and produced. PG does not.

I was very underwhelmed initially by “Paper gods” on first play – liked the title track, and “Pressure off” (even the “Woah-oah-woah-oah-woah-oah” bit – which is apparently known as the “Millenial whoop” fact fans) and one or two others but the rest of the album just didn’t do it for me. However having tried it out while getting my cycling hour in, it’s really grown on me. Has it grown enough on me to spend £300 on a Vinyl Factory special edition? Just possibly actually…

I like half of the album including the bonus tracks; Valentine Stones being my favourite one. Only In Dreams is another favourite, as is the title track and the sole single Pressure Off was their best single in years. However as with more recent DD albums it suffers with trying too hard to be relevant. The collaborations are a bit rubbish. Even John Frusciante couldn’t muster up a decent solo and ruined The Universe Alone. The same happened with AYNIN. The final released of that album had too many tracks. The iTunes 10 track was almost perfect and is my go-to of that album.
The band need to keep it simple. Less is more.

WTF!? How about a complete Vinyl box with proper remastered versions! Those 1/2 ass version vinyl reissues with mistakes and horrible remastering were atrocious. 1st 3 LPS remastered by someone who cares please!

I though All You Need Is Now was very Duran. Yes, it was a throwback album but it was generally excellent, as well as creative and experimental. I nearly cried when I heard how good it was because I had long since given up on this band. I do think it’s better than Rio, and many tracks rank among their best hooks (Runway Runaway gives me chills). I thought they had returned to form, but then came Paper Gods. And considering DD was a massive love when I was only 12 years old, and for a few years to come, I took the extreme change of Paper Gods personally. It was a total slap. Yes, diehards DD fans would force themselves to like it and claimed the band need to grow, but Paper Gods is not growth. It’s more of a 90s dance throwback. I’ve had to look at AYNIN as a gift to fans who gave up years ago, and a very nice one. They are back in Siberia for this former fan but I appreciated the brief revisit.

Scott, I’ m with you, subscribe all you say.
PG has been the first “post full line-up reformation” (2005) LP that I literally had in my hands but then decided to leave on the shelf, since the “period of detachment” corresponding to all the albums from Big Thing onwards (I only missed The Wedding Album which now has unaffordable prices as second hand LP). RCM was close, but among the production disaster I did perceive some tunes in it, and bought it.
PG has really put me off the live shows, as well. Seen them three times, now way I’ m going to see the same show again plus tracks from PG.
But… I will always give them another chance. Let’ s hope they come back from Siberia with another AYNIN, or an evolution of that, which is what they do best.